On an early, snowy Friday morning, high school and middle school students gathered at the school to head to the slopes at Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac, Michigan. For most students, this was their first or second time going skiing. Despite the nerves of first-timers and the not-so-confident skiers, everyone was excited for what the day had in store.

On the bus ride there, the scene was beautiful, with views of snow-covered hills and frost-covered trees, and a pretty sunrise. Once the bus arrived, everyone was eager to get their gear on and get to the slopes. The weather that morning on the chairlifts was perfect: the wind wasn’t too harsh, the morning sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t too much snowfall.

When Maddox Hutchchinson, a first-time skier and senior, was asked about his first-ever skiing experience, he said, “It was really fun. We got to the place, and they taught us the basics of skiing, and I went down the snow bunny hill a few times, and that was easy.” Maddox also states that he went down the black diamond without falling!

Junior and second-time skier, Brooklynn Knobblet, explains, “I was excited to hang out and go skiing with my friends, also to enjoy my time with people from school.”

In the afternoon, most students came inside for a well-deserved lunch break. All tables were surrounded by warm food, laughter that echoed throughout the lodge, and dramatic wipeout stories.

Addison Riske, also a second-time skier and sophomore, explains, “When we were inside for lunch with everyone, my friends and I sat together, and told each other about our funny skiing fails.”

After a while, a majority of the students went back out to ski for the last few hours they had, while also enjoying the beautiful views from the mountain tops and finding slopes they hadn’t gone down yet.

As soon as 5 p.m. hit, the sun started to set, and everyone started to pack up with tired but fulfilled faces, wishing we had just a little more time together on the slopes. The bus ride home was not dreaded but full of storytelling and scrolling through the pictures lots of us took throughout the day, while others couldn’t help but doze off to sleep after the long, exciting day.

Thanks to Mrs. Sigman, Mrs. Osterhout, Mr. Walker, and Caberfae’s support team, we had a well-planned, perfect day for everyone.